Newbie wishing to use DAW software with my Korg Kronos

My background is piano, plus in the 80’s I had a couple of synths when I was in a cover band (they didn’t have workstations back then to my knowledge or I just wasn’t informed). Now I am only playing jf for personal pleasure and composing my own music that I like but few others do .

So, I want to find an easy to use DAW so that I can change relate music files and either burn a cd, share it, save it on a computer file etc. I realize that personal taste is a factor, but I am seeking a windows version that’s easy for beginners.

My tech savvy is low, but I used to create my own sounds/programs and beef up sounds in my old Yamaha DX7 and Kong DW8000 back in the 80s.

I wish there was a class I can take on electronic music technology, especially in regards to DAW etc.

So, with that said, can I get some recommendations for some easy to use DAW software that won’t break the bank but is good enough that I won’t need to updgrade as my learning curve lessens? I do know how to use the Kronos for sequencing, so at first will just want to transfer info to a DAW file perhaps.

I currently have a Roland FA 08 but once I can sell it will by buying a Kronos 88 soon.

I meant to play that note!

There are online classes in how to use DAWs and other recording equipment-- check the Coursera site; many of the classes are conducted by Berklee College of Music, but there are also classes conducted by many other schools. They will hope that you sign up to pay for the courses, but you can audit the courses for free as long as you don't need to receive any "college credit" or "certification" for completing them.

As far as DAWs, my personal favorite is Acoustica Mixcraft, partly because it's the one I'm most familiar with, but also because I find it to be one of the easiest DAWs to use. It isn't perfect-- there are a couple of things it can't do that I wish it could, such as work with SysEx messages without having to rely on a plug-in for that, or the ability to draw computer-generated lines and curves in the automation lanes rather than having to draw everything freehand-- but it's hands down the simplest DAW to use for many things, and the "pro" edition is much less expensive than the "pro" editions of many other DAWs which are more difficult to use.

However, I think that choosing a DAW you'll be happiest with is sort of like choosing a car you'll be happiest with, because it can depend on many different factors, and not the least of them could very well be how "sexy" you think its physical appearance is-- which has no bearing on how intuitively understandable and simple to use the user interface actually is, although it can have a bearing on whether you're attracted to, repulsed by, or downright terrified of, the thought of clicking on the various buttons and other controls on the screen.

Fortunately, most (if not all) commercial DAWs can be used on a trial basis for free, and some of them even have free "lite" versions. So you should be able to try out many different DAWs to see how easy or how difficult they are for you to understand and use, how much or how little you like the way they "look and feel," whether they have or whether they lack some key capability that you need, etc.

Thank you SeaGtGruff for the excellent advice! From what little research I have done so far, I most likely will use the Kronos for sequencing etc and then use the DAW software mostly for just converting the file so I can share via computer, create a CD etc. Does that make sense?

I meant to play that note!

If you just want to use the computer to record the audio coming from the keyboard, and don't need to record and edit the keyboard's MIDI data or play virtual instruments with the keyboard, then you may want to look at a free audio-only recording program such as Audacity.

You could either record multiple audio tracks one at a time, then mix them together to create an audio file; or you could do all of your arranging and mixing on the keyboard (if it has functions for doing all of that), then play back the final work and send the audio to Audacity to be recorded in stereo and exported to an audio file.

Of course, a DAW that includes MIDI capabilities would be even better, and could definitely do everything (and more) that Audacity could do. But a lot of people find that Audacity can fill all of their recording needs.

Thanks so mich SeaGtGruff! That is exactly the advice I needed. I think I will check out the fee Audacity program solely for recording and as my first venture with DAW. Maybe down the road I will switch to a DAW that can do more, but the Kronos is such a powerhouse I think I will use that first for my sequencing.

I meant to play that note!

You're welcome! I hope you have fun with Audacity. It's pretty easy to use, and while I don't normally use it myself, I've helped my father use it to record his old LP record albums and burn them to CD.